


The Vindication of Mr. Bear

by RedLlamas



Series: The Plushie Pile 🧸 [1]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment RPF
Genre: Autistic Shane Madej, Established Relationship, Gift Giving, M/M, Mark Madej's A+ Parenting, POV Ryan Bergara, Plushies, tfw u're in looove
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:48:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29774322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedLlamas/pseuds/RedLlamas
Summary: When they go to Costco, Shane spots the giant teddy bears and has a feeling about it, which accidentally spurs Ryan into action.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Series: The Plushie Pile 🧸 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2174052
Comments: 12
Kudos: 43





	The Vindication of Mr. Bear

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you my beloved [Pop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/popkin16) for betaing!
> 
> The giant teddy bears in question:  
> 

They’re at Costco looking for new bedsheets when Shane spots it.

Ryan hears him gasp, and then Shane grasps his arm. Ryan looks up at him, then in the direction he’s looking, and sees it as well.

Costco brought back the giant teddy bears.

Ryan smiles as he sees Shane bound off to see them closer. He looks so happy, in between the kids that’re also milling about, gazing at the teddy bears. Shane looks back at him as he holds one of them close, the bear’s head nearly twice the size of Shane’s.

His hand runs over its tummy, and Ryan can see his gaze going soft as he does, eyes crinkling with how hard he smiles. He must be having quite the stim time, but quickly enough steps back from the teddy bear, giving it a pat on the belly before making his way back to Ryan, a strained smile on his face.

Ryan furrows his brows, wondering why Shane isn’t happy anymore.

“Shane?” he asks, but Shane only raises his eyebrows at him, and takes hold of their cart.

“Come on, Ry, the sheets are this way,” he says by way of explanation. Ryan hurries after him, intent on figuring out why his boyfriend’s mood changed so rapidly.

“Shane, what’s going on? Didn’t you like the bear?” It was a very big bear, and since Shane has that whole small thing going on, he thought he would’ve wanted it.

“I,” Shane begins, but winces at himself. They’re in the aisle with the bedsheets, and Shane’s looking at them instead of at Ryan. Ryan frowns. He gently grabs hold of his arm, making them stop.

“Hey, big guy, look at me,” he says. Shane frowns, but does turn to look at him.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” he asks, rubbing his thumb over the shirt’s material.

Shane furrows his brow, and deflates, letting out a sigh. “I know. But, maybe not here, maybe home?”

Ryan nods, and presses a kiss to his shoulder. They continue on down the aisle.

Ryan helps Shane put the new bedsheets on his bed, and the guest bed as well. Once all the pillows and blankets are back in order, Shane and Ryan sit at the kitchen table, with Shane’s hand in Ryan’s. He thumbs over his purlicue.

Shane opens his mouth, closes it. He brings a hand to his chin, brows furrowed as he tries to figure out how to articulate himself. Ryan waits him out.

Shane fans his hand out, and finally says, “I had a teddy bear when I was younger.”

Ryan blinks. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, and I only ever had the one. Going by pictures, it seems I had him since I was born. But then, when I was about five or six, it was gone. I asked my mom where he was –his name was Mr. Bear– and she told me she didn’t know. So I asked my dad, and he said that…”

Here, Shane’s hand comes down to the table, a grimace on his face. Ryan has an idea what his dad must’ve said, but doesn’t want it to be true. He brings both of Shane’s hands together, and holds them, thumbs running along the bony ridges of his fingers.

Shane sighs. He looks at the table.

“He took Mr. Bear away because I couldn’t play with him anymore.”

Ryan frowns, his heart aching. “I’m sorry.”

Shane shakes his head, takes his hands out of Ryan’s to cross over his chest. “No, no, it’s okay, it’s whatever. I mean, it’s not important, you know? It’s just a teddy bear.”

Ryan’s about to refute that, since it is important, clearly, but. Shane looks so hurt, and small, suddenly. He thinks about what young Shane would’ve been like, in that moment, when he realizes that his dad took away his bear. Surlier, probably, definitely pissed off.

He doesn’t know what to say. He gets up from his chair to go over to Shane’s side, and pulls him into a hug. Shane presses his face into the material on his shoulder, and holds him tight.

Ryan decides to get him the bear.

He knows it’s not gonna replace Mr. Bear, or make up for years of feeling bereft, but he hopes it can be a balm. Besides, what’s a hundred dollars for Shane’s happiness?

The worker who helps him wheel the bear to his car is named Jody, and she grins at the sight of his Prius.

“I have a plan,” he promises.

“I didn’t say anything,” she says. They both giggle.

Ryan spends a few minutes pushing and bending the passenger seat as close to the dashboard as it could go, and then another few fixing his seat to be as close to the wheel as he could. They load the bear into the car, pushing and pulling it into place until it took up the entirety of the backseat, its feet taking up the real estate left by the passenger seat.

He pulls out his wallet in order to tip her, but she refuses, saying that it’s against policy. Ryan nods, understanding, about to put the money back into his pocket when, whoops, it falls to the ground. Jody furrows her brows, smiling despite herself. Ryan doesn’t look at the ground as he shakes her hand, gets into his car, and drives away. He does see her pick up the money and pocket it in his rearview window, and smiles to himself.

His fingers drum against the steering wheel as he drives home, excitement coursing through his veins. He’s so excited to show Shane. He wonders if Shane will be as excited as he is.

Getting the bear up into Shane’s apartment is an odyssey unto itself. He’s got both back doors open, and he’s standing there, hands on his hips as he looks around, waiting for someone to go into the complex. He spots a couple nearing the entrance, and he jogs up to them, asks if they can help him move the bear, to which they happily agree to.

The guy introduces himself as Abhivir, while his partner names themselves as Lin. They start out with Ryan and Abhivir pushing and pulling the bear out, then switch to Ryan and Lin hauling it across the threshold of the lobby into the elevator, where Ryan rides alone with the bear until he gets to Shane’s floor. He pulls it out into the hallway, and waits for the couple to catch up to him to continue hefting the bear.

Once all back together, the couple carries the bear down the hall, Ryan leading the way to Shane’s apartment. He quickly opens the door, and holds it open as the couple practically jog inside with it. They set the bear down with a heave, and laugh at themselves.

“Do you want us to put him somewhere?” Lin asks.

“Uh, oh! Yeah, actually!” Ryan says, remembering his plan. “Follow me,” he says as he grabs hold of the bear from under the armpits, and Lin takes hold of its legs. They walk back into the small hallway leading to Shane’s room, and Abhivir opens it for them. Lin and Ryan set the teddy bear on the bed, arranging it so that it’s sitting up against the headboard, blanket covering its lower torso.

“Thank you guys so much!” Ryan keeps saying as he walks them to the door.

“Oh, it was totally our pleasure!” Lin says. Abhivir nods, taking their hand into his. Ryan wants to pay them, but they refuse, saying that anything that has to do with love should be free. And, well, Ryan can’t argue with that.

Ryan’s sitting on the couch, leg jumping up and down nervously. He’s flipping through the channels, waiting for when Shane gets home. He stops on a classic cinema channel and lets the grainy microphones fill the noise. His heart nearly bursts out of his chest when he hears the lock being turned, quickly followed by Shane stepping through the doorway. Obi pitter-patters to the door to greet Shane, and he bends down to scratch at his ears. Shane lights up when he finally sees Ryan.

“Hey, baby!” he says, and sets his things on the table before crossing over to greet Ryan with a kiss. Ryan jumps up from his seat to kiss Shane, wrapping his arms around his waist. When they pull away, Shane gives him one of his dopey grins, and Ryan returns it. He brings his hands down to interlace their fingers together, gently swinging them.

“Hey, big guy, I have a surprise for you!”

“Really?”

“Yes, and you have to close your eyes for it,” Ryan says, and starts to pull them back towards Shane’s room.

“Oh?” Shane asks, quirking his brows, but bringing a hand up to cover his eyes all the same. “Is this a sexy surprise?”

"No," Ryan snorts, shaking his head. He opens the door with a flourish, and now guides Shane inside, hands on his shoulders. Shane takes careful steps, letting himself be led.

Ryan makes him stand before his bed, and steps aside. “Open them!”

Shane takes his hand off his eyes, and looks before him. His breath hitches as his eyes go wide. He looks to Ryan, then back at the bear.

“Oh my God,” he breathes out, eyes starting to water. He brings his hands up to hold his cheeks, looking between Ryan and the bear.

“Shane, are you okay?” Ryan asks, worried now that this wasn’t the nice present he had been hoping for.

Shane nods, a few tears falling down his cheeks. He covers his eyes with his hands again, and in a small voice, asks, “Is this for me?”

Ryan nears him, gently wrapping his arms around his waist. “Of course it is.”

“Cool,” Shane says, and Ryan giggles. He presses a kiss to his wrist, presses his head against his shoulder.

“Is it okay?” he asks. Shane takes his hands away, and looks at Ryan. He grins through his tears.

“Of course it is! I’m– this is mine, right?” Shane asks.

“Yes, the bear is yours! I got it for you!” Ryan assures.

Shane’s smile widens, and he turns in Ryan’s arms to hug him tight.

“Can I…?” Shane begins, but cuts himself off.

“Yes?” Ryan prompts.

“Can I hug him?” Shane says into Ryan’s hair. Ryan’s heart seizes up at that, and he lets Shane out of his embrace to look up at him.

“Shane, if you don’t hug him, then I’ll just take him back!”

Shane laughs at that, and presses a quick kiss to his forehead before jumping into bed to press his head into the bear’s chest, nuzzling its fur as he holds it tight. Ryan smiles at him, and goes over to take Shane’s shoes off. Shane reaches out a hand to him, and Ryan takes it, letting himself be pulled into bed as well.

He lays his head down on the other side of the bear’s chest, holding hands with Shane against its fur.

“Thank you,” Shane says.

“Always,” Ryan says.

Shane eventually names the bear Burger. When a very baffled Ryan asks why, he explains that, “Since you bought it, you’re Ryan, I call you the Bergmeister, Burger. Simple as that.”

Ryan howls with laughter.


End file.
